A shooting on the Fourth of July and subsequent search for the suspect, who may be armed, in Naples, Maine, prompted officials to cancel the town's fireworks display Tuesday night.
The Cumberland County Sheriff's office said in a release that it is investigating a shooting that occurred at 7:05 p.m. on the Naples Causeway, which was busy with families getting ready for the annual fireworks show, NBC affiliate News Center Maine reported.
Police said a minor who was shot was rushed to Bridgton Hospital before he was taken by medical helicopter to Maine Medical Center, according to News Center Maine. He is expected to survive.
Residents are being asked to be on the lookout for an 18-year-old who may be armed with a 9 millimeter handgun. Police say the suspect is 5'8" and 120 pounds. He has blue eyes and blonde hair. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a grey sweatshirt and a black hat.
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Naples residents received an automated message from law enforcement about the suspect, who remained on the loose as of 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Anyone who sees this person should call 911 immediately; do not approach him, police warned.
The Sebago Fire Department announced just after 8 p.m. that fireworks in Naples had been cancelled due to an active police incident, noting that Route 302 is shutdown, and people should avoid the area.
Local
According to News Center Maine, Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce spoke Tuesday evening about the shooting and ongoing search, saying people were waiting for the holiday show to start when they heard five shots that sounded like fireworks.
Joyce said deputies saw the suspect shoot a minor, who then collapsed. While the shooter took off down the street and ran into the woods, News Center Maine reported.
Joyce said one of the shots struck a vehicle, but nobody else was injured that they're aware of.
The alleged shooter is known to police, Joyce said, and law enforcement is "hunting down leads, looking to find him." The sheriff's office is encouraging the shooter to turn himself in, according to News Center Maine.
The shooting has been descried as an isolated incident, and there is not believed to be an ongoing threat to the public, News Center Maine reported. An investigation is ongoing.
State police, the state fire marshal's office, the fish and game department, and the Windham Police Department are assisting the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office.
Naples is a town in Cumberland County and is home to a portion of Sebago Lake State Park. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area.
